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Loading ...Prince Harry ordered to diversity program after homophobic, racist remarks
02.12.2009 3:12pm EST
(London) Prince Harry has been ordered by the British military to attend a diversity training program following an investigation into a video of the third in line to the throne making homophobic and racist remarks about members of his Army platoon.
A senior military source told the Mirror newspaper that the incident would go on Harry’s record but would not count against him in his career.The “equality and diversity” course is run by the Army, which for several years has been active in trying to reduce incidents of homophobia and racism in the armed forces.
The slurs were made in 2006 while the third in line to the throne was a cadet at Sandhurst, the royal military college, and captured on film. The video became public last month when the News of the World newspaper put it on its Web site.
At one point the prince asks a member of his squad about an exercise the officer cadets had just done. Then, off camera but clearly audible, asks “How do you feel? Gay? Queer on the side?”
Elsewhere on the tape he refers to another cadet as “our little Paki friend,” a derogatory word for Pakistani.
In another section he tells one of his comrades, who is wearing a camouflage headgear: “It’s Dan the Man … F*** me, you look like a raghead,” a slur for an Arab.
The comments drew outrage from human rights groups. The Equality and Human Rights Commission demanded a formal inquiry.
In announcing last month that it would investigate a Ministry of Defense spokesperson said: “Neither the Army nor the Armed Forces tolerate inappropriate behavior in any shape or form. This sort of language is not acceptable in a modern army.”
Yet, despite an apology for his taped remarks, Harry this week was accused to making another racist remark.
This week, black British comedian Stephen K. Amos said the prince had told him last year that he didn’t “sound like a black chap.”
Harry is the younger son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.
In 2002, Charles took Harry to a drug rehab center to meet recovering addicts after Harry acknowledged smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol while underage. The tabloid press dubbed him “Harry Pothead.”
After graduating from elite boarding school Eton College the next year, Harry was frequently snapped by paparazzi leaving nightclubs in the early hours, and once scuffled in the street with a photographer.
In January 2005, Harry apologized after being pictured in a newspaper at a costume party dressed as a Nazi, complete with a swastika armband.
This type of immaturity is not approapriate especially in a man who may or may not one day potentially assume the role of monarch and be symbol of the UK. I loved the Queen Mother as she was known to have a very “regal” and progay sense of humor like in this queen is hungry and needs for the “queens” in the kitchen to soon please bring my meal before long. Queen Elizabeth would was known to go visit nursing homes. A proper, ladylike and respectable woman of royal blood, but a compassionate one.
She even learned a bit Scottish Gaelic to say “Ciamar a tha sibh”? How are you or whatever she learned to one of her guards who was a Gaelic-speaker from the one Western Isles off the coast of Scotland.
Glad the military is taking appropriate actions for this young royal’s inappropriate behavior. Thought the dignified, courteous proper but compassionate, and sometimes good-humored bearing of his grandmother and mother would have been sufficient example for him. Seems like he might have gotten in with the “wrong people” somewhere along the line and maybe learned the wrong things to speak and the wrong way to act, especially for a military setting, maybe from other military men “of a wrong mind”.
I think Prince Harry is being hounded and stalked by greedy tattlers and paparazzi eager to cash in on every gaffe or remark Harry makes for a nice sum of money from the yellow journalist UK press.I doubt if Harry is homophobic given the long history of homosexuality, real or closeted, in Buckingham Palace.
Harry’s comments weren’t homophobic. That was misrtepresented by hyper-sensitive lobbyists Stonewall. Harry is shown in videos kissing his fellow platoon members…
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it’s interesting, this is all over the papers in the UK, but they never mention the homophobic comments…Just the racist ones. I didn’t even know he had said the “Queer” comments untill I read it on this site.
I’ll be happy to teach HRH Harry about diversity!
the truth is… the Royal family is very racist and believe in supremacy.
Prince Phillip, Harry’s granfather…has made many racist remarks in public over the years. Harry’f comments are in line with his grandfather’s!
While they may be Royal, they are not perfect or even kind…. or caring!
Princess Dianna was the exception not the rule for Royal compassion!
Historically, “taking service” with the Royal Family has been a “refugium” for gay men.
The Queen Mother famously leaned over the bannister and shouted, “will one of you queens get this old queen a drink?!”
Certainly Harry’s FATHER was raised around gay people … don’t know about Princess Diana.
I tend not to be too upset by all this … he was trash-talkin’ like young punks DO in the Army, tryin’ to be big and strong and butch.
He’ll grow out of it.
Cheers,
Bud Burgoon-Clark
San Diego CA USA
Thee “boy/man” has problemos! I know his late mother did not rear him to become a racist or a sexist or a homophobe! I don’t know about his dad or others. Too bad for him overall!
He’s not primarily racist or homophobic. He’s just needy for attention.
Sounds like quite a leader, eh? Maybe he should immigrate here and run for president. LMAO!